A few days after arriving in San Miguel de Allende, we headed over to the city of Guanajuato, which is the capital of the state by the same name.
Our first impressions of Guanajuato were of its extensive tunnel systems, where main city arteries travel below the town. Some tunnels had two-way traffic, while others were one-way. Some tunnels allowed residents living above, to park along the side of the road. There were long subway-style stairways linking some the tunnel sidewalks to the fresh air above.
Guanajuato is home to the Teatro Juarez, which is an intimate theater, considered the second best in all of Mexico. It is absolutely lovely inside, decorated in a Moorish style. When the theater was opened, it catered exclusively to the local elite, evidenced by the attendance of Mexico's president, Porfirio Diaz, at its opening.
Guanajuato is also a university town, and grows significantly in population during the time the students are in town. We learned that students live in exclusively local apartments and/or with family, and not do not have US-style dormitories available. We took a group picture on the same steps, where university graduates take their graduation class picture.
During one particularly prolific rain shower, we ducked into the Diego Rivera museum. Guanajuato was the birthplace of the famous painter Diego Rivera. His home has been turned into a museum, where you can see how the family lived when he was young, and also where you can see many of Diego's sketches, drawings, and paintings as he developed his artistic skill and found his own style.
While in Guanajuato, we also visited some of the old churches, enjoyed the many plazas, and even saw the "Callejon del Beso", a narrow alleyway, where the houses are so close that lovers could clandestinely kiss from balcony to balcony. This is the setting of a Mexican instance of a real life Romeo and Juliet story from years back. And it is said that if a couple kisses in this spot today, they will have many years of good luck.
No comments:
Post a Comment